


Date Night

by TardisTexan



Series: The Twelfth Doctor and his Wife [5]
Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-03
Updated: 2014-11-03
Packaged: 2018-02-23 21:53:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,428
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2557040
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TardisTexan/pseuds/TardisTexan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's the first romantic evening out for the Doctor and River after the baby was born</p>
            </blockquote>





	Date Night

“River,” the Doctor called from their bedroom, “I really don't think this is a good idea.”

“Sweetie, we have been over this,” River replied from the adjoining bathroom.

“I know, but I just don't know if I can...”

“Clara was a nanny and is now a teacher. She is good with children, especially you. I know this is our first time to leave her, but I think that Clara is perfectly capable of babysitting our little Time Lady for a few hours,” River said, continuing to move around behind the door.

The Doctor looked down at the baby in his arms. His three month old daughter smiled up at him. “You don't want to go stay with ugly old Clara, do you Lorna?” The Doctor asked, taking one of her small hands and holding it.

Lorna gurgled up at him, her free hand reaching for his nose.

“Yes, Clara is very bossy,” he said, smiling down at her. Then he lifted his head and said more loudly, “See River, Lorna doesn't want to go.”

“Our daughter cannot get everything she wants for the rest of her life, Doctor.”

“Of course she can!” the Doctor scoffed, as he gently rocked Lorna. “My sweet girl will never want for anything.”

Then he heard the door open and River say, “But Sweetie, you haven't seen my new dress yet.”

The Doctor looked up at River and made a small sound of delight. Even though this regeneration had a hard time judging superficial beauty and age, he knew that his wife was gorgeous. He didn't really have an eye for the details but the dress was the color of red wine, fitted, backless, and had a slit up the side that showed her leg as she walked toward him. Only his wife could bring on this feeling of raw lust that was suddenly racing through his body. “You are beautiful,” he said, standing up. 

“Now Doctor, are you telling me that you would rather stay home in the TARDIS in our pajamas than go out dancing with me? You and me, moving in each others arms? My body pressed against yours...” River said, her voice low and husky, green eyes shining.

The Doctor looked down at his daughter, “Lorna, Clara is great and fun to be around. You will be fine. It will just be for an hour or two. You don't even have to worry about us being late, you know that your Mum will get us back on time.”

Lorna started to fuss and River took her from him. “Good answer,” she whispered and pressed a kiss to his lips. “I'll take us to Clara's while you get dressed.”

\---

A bit later the Doctor found River and Clara chatting in the console room, River bouncing Lorna on her hip. River turned to watch him come down the stairs and her jaw dropped.

“I am quite dashing in a tuxedo now, am I not?” the Doctor said, dancing awkwardly down the stairs and making a slow turn at the bottom of the staircase. 

“What is the name of sanity is that thing around your neck?” River asked the Doctor, handing Lorna to Clara and turning toward him. Clara was giggling behind her but River was not amused. 

“It's a tie of course. Honestly River, I know you have seen a tie before.” He had a large looping tie around his neck. Not the neat bow tie both of his previous faces had preferred with a tuxedo. River was actually a bit hurt. She had been looking forward to seeing the tie around his neck again, getting to run her fingers across it again as they danced, but apparently he was so adverse to a bow tie now he even refused to wear one with a tuxedo.

The Doctor, oblivious to the hurt in his wife's eyes, stood looking at his three girls. “What's the matter?” Lorna gurgled at him in reply. “It's not ugly! River, your daughter says my tie is ugly.”

“It is,” River said, sighing and walking toward him. “I think you should take it off.” 

“But River...”

River pulled the tie from the Doctor's neck and handed it to him, her voice hard. “If you refuse to wear a proper bow tie, just go without one.”

The Doctor lifted his chin a bit. “Fine.” He went to Clara and took Lorna from her and kissed her and held her close. “You be good for Clara. Mum and Dad will be back for you soon.” Then he passed her to River.

River also kissed and hugged her daughter. Now that she was about to leave without her daughter, a sudden fear gripped at her. She looked at Clara with big eyes. Not that she didn't trust Clara, of course she did. She knew Lorna would be fine, but it was the first time she was leaving her and suddenly she didn't want to let her daughter go.

Clara recognized that look, the first time a mother left her child was a hard one. “We will be just fine, won't we Lorna?” Clara asked in a calm voice, reaching out for the baby's small hand. “Mum and Dad are going to go to a lovely party, they will dance, and then Mum will make Daddy pay for wearing that horrible tie, won't she?” Lorna laughed a little baby laugh and it made River smile. She handed the child to Clara and felt a little ache in heart. 

River followed Clara to the door with a bag of Lorna's things. When Clara and Lorna were gone, River walked back to the console, glancing at the tie crumbled in the jumpseat where the Doctor had left it. River was silent as she input coordinates and sent the ship into the vortex. The Doctor watched her intently. “We can go back for her, if you want,” he said moving toward her. 

“That's not it,” River said moving away from him. She had to let this go, she told herself. This was their first night out since Lorna had been born. It was supposed to be a lovely, romantic evening. She shouldn't let such a small thing get to her.

“Then why are you crying,” the Doctor said quietly, watching his wife. 

“It's nothing,” she said, wiping her eyes quickly. “Damn hormones must not be back to normal yet.” 

“River Song, do not lie to me,” the Doctor said, coming over to her. “No more hiding from each other.”

River took a deep breath and squared her shoulders. She looked up at her husband. “Do you really hate bow ties so much now that you won't even wear one with a tuxedo?”

The Doctor looked shocked. All this over a silly tie? He opened his mouth to ask his wife if she had gone pudding brained, but then he closed it again. He turned and laid his hands on the console. She was right, of course she was. The choice had been deliberate. When he had gone into the wardrobe, a smart black bow tie was laying there neatly in a little box with his hat and cane nearby. He had closed the box with a growl and had scrounged around until he found another one.

“I'm not that man anymore, River,” he said, not looking at her.

“Yes, you are,” River said, hurt in her voice. “You are still the Doctor, still my husband, still a man who looks good in a bow tie and tuxedo.”

“How do you know?” 

River sighed, “Forget it. Let's just go and...” the Doctor grabbed her arm and stopped her, turning her to face him.

“River, I don't want to be like the face you married anymore. He... hurt a lot of people, including you. I am trying to make up for them. I know what the bow tie meant to you, but I also want you to know what not being like him means to me.”

River took his hand in hers and slid the ring on his finger around a little. A wedding ring, something the previous version of the Doctor never even considered. She looked up at him and smiled, then pulled him down to her and kissed him ferociously.

When she let him go, the Doctor eyed her suspiciously. “Okay?”

“Okay,” River said, running her hands down his lapels, “there are other places I can put my fingers while we are dancing.” The Doctor looked at her quizzically and River laughed her low, throaty, laugh. 

Oh, this party was going to be fun.

**Author's Note:**

> I was a little sad when I saw the Doctor wearing that horrible tie in Mummy on the Orient Express. I had to assume River would be too.


End file.
